New Zealand is being attacked by the vicious Wenza virus… is the premise used to fuel 21-year-old artist Charlie Faulks in his Kiwi-as horror comedy animated series Bloke of the Apocalypse.
The main character, Bloke, is a sheep farmer living in rural Canterbury, with his son, Oliver, and their newly born pet lamb, Lambie. Together, they navigate 7 zombie-infected local scenarios.
Make no mistake about it; Wenza virus is just a term. This is the collapse of rural New Zealand at the frothing mouths of a zombie apocalypse.
The dry entertainment throughout the developing plot hinges primarily upon Bloke. Though he has farm tools, it is his stubborn chauvinism and limited vocabulary that misguides the trio through each situation.
Oliver plays off Bloke with the voice of reason, weakness, or the expression of a desire to be granted the scarcity that is paternal affirmation – all contrasting to the rural South Island macho that is Bloke.
These characters are alleged to be inspired by Charlie’s own father and brother, though they are clearly both exaggerations as well as overt caricatures of numerous other stereotypes of their kind whilst simultaneously somewhat endearing.
Even if most will not relate to their outlooks, and certainly not their situations, it is more than likely that the craft behind this series will keep you watching.
Though each element has traces of already existing material; in a nuanced way, Bloke is very much an original work.
The artistry is slightly resemblant of Bojack Horseman mashed up with a bit of Hey Arnold, though the character detailing is simpler with condensed facial features and oddly shaped noses.
The backgrounds are closer to some of the earlier Beavis and Butthead episodes, though rural South Island doesn’t contain many land features to generate motifs, but plenty of local visual idiosyncrasies do add to the humour.
The comedy is very Kiwi – casual, dry, ironic and retaining a focus on triviality amidst any other greater dilemma. Conversations like needing milk for tea, removing prickles from the garden before beersies on the porch, and whether cows are better than sheep stimulate a time passing amusement.
The episodes are only 6 minutes short, with each ending on a cliffhanger leaning on the zombie plot but deployed more like a noughties thriller where escape or even survival seems highly improbable, if even possible.
Given that Bloke is largely unflappable these are not nail-biting, nor even necessary, as moments to generate tension, but they do provide an effective balance to Bloke’s general temperament. They are also very consistent to the tight beats of the show. If a loose raw cut ever existed, there are not traces of it remaining.
This is certainly sharp storytelling pitched to be as palatable and broadly acceptable as this content can be. One only has to manage a limited amount of gore from time to time within each episode, and really the disaster element is nothing more than a contrast to the mundanity of Bloke’s lifestyle.
Infused with quirky beats like voice-over acapella choral song expressing a specific emotion or the shape formed from Lambie’s accident on the planet Aotearoa map – a full-size world map containing only NZ in the corner – Bloke is almost certainly set to gain an increasing audience.
Bloke of the Apocalypse released on October 31st of this year and can be seen on Charlie Faulks official YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/@Faulksie
Giles Wynn